Darkest Descent
by JamesJabber
Summary: What happens when you have nowhere to go and you are only left with your imagination and others? Who will you talk to when there is no one to talk to and you never need to eat? Well find out something, silly!


**_Darkest Descent_**

**_Chapter 1: The First of Many_**

It is night time and through the open window shines the light of the full moon. Geoff Thomas is an experimentalist and a geek, a boy who owns glasses that can hardly fit his nose. He loves computers; in fact he has designed his entire room to house every sort of electronic device: remote controls, monitoring screens, telescopes, binoculars, computer chips, lasers, and tracking devices. Among his greatest inventions include a homemade gps satellite antenna, currently positioned on the roof for exceptional reception.

He had his friend, Kyoko Shira, over for lunch when all of the sudden the computer he stored his life work on burst into flame for no apparent reason. His face was covered with soot as he stared at the glaringly impossible task of fixing the smoldering remains. He sat dismayed in his chair, unable to salvage any information now that his room lay in shambles.

Whoray, the very wise and ancient owl, an all too familiar voice, began to speak with him, "You knew this would happen this way, you've been hanging out with that girl; when you play with things you shouldn't bad things are bound to happen. What exactly were you expecting?"

"There must be a logical explanation," said Geoff Thomas, sifting through the pile of burnt computer housings, wires, and melted cooling fans. "I refuse to believe Kyoko Shira had anything to do with destroying my computer." He picks out an exceptionally large capacity memory storage device still attached to the motherboard. Looking at it closely, he notices that it still appears to be intact and without damage. "Do you see this, Whoray, not everything has been destroyed, maybe there is still hope that my experimental data stays intact, and I can finish my work."

"Precisely." The owl flutters to the window sill as the light of the moon silhouettes his large form.

"How would you know you stupid owl? Kyoko and I are friends and you would never understand," said Geoff. He turned away, picking up the pieces of the melted monitor.

"I know far more than you realize, Geoff. You wouldn't begin to understand the depth of my knowledge. Stay away from that girl; it would be in your best interest." The owl flutters away silently to catch some field mice.

Geoff turns toward the empty window with distress filling his heart, Whoray can't possibly understand how I feel for Kyoko, and there is no way she could have caused this, it's just not possible, he thought.

Distraught by the mess of his computer and the finality of the damage, he grabs the nearest trash can and drops it in.

**_Chapter 2: The Meeting_**

"Oh Kyoko, what am I going to do?" asked Geoff at the door to Kyoko's house.

"Geoff? I knew you would come. I'm glad you're here, come in."

"Thanks Kyoko, you really helped me out back there."

"Oh sure thing, think nothing of it." She slides the door open and gestures for him to come inside.

"There's dinner waiting for you inside I hope you don't mind, but I've made you some really good sushi, it's spicy California roll your favorite!"

"Thank you very much Kyoko, you didn't have to."

Rigane, Kyoko's father, calls from the dining room, "Hey Kyo, who's your new friend?"

"Oh Father this is Geoff Thomas from school, I've told you about him."

"Geoff huh, nice to meet you, my daughter has told me all about you, you seem a little nervous, what is it? Well do you like my daughter or what, out with it!"

"Father please."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that don't misunderstand, we're just friends."

"Oh come on, boy, don't you lie to me, she is cute you know. I think we did a fine job don't you think?"

"Oh she is beautiful Mister Nitsuke, very beautiful, but really we are just friends."

"Anyway, dad, we are going in my room to work on an experiment of his, we'll be going now." She and Geoff get up politely and head for the room.

"Fine, suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you that her room is a really big mess right now."

"Oh don't mind him, Geoff, my room is anything from a mess, come and see."

"I'm not one to judge, Kyoko, it's your room after all."

"And what do you mean by that, huh Geoff?"

"Your room, you can keep your room however you like it."

"Here we are, my room." They step into a perfectly organized and pristine room filled with books about magic spells, books lined to the ceiling in perfect order, and not a wrinkle nor speck of dust floating through the moonlit window.

"So are you spending the night or what, Geoff?" She gazes at him with doughy eyes and tips her glasses past her nose, leaning closer to his face than he was ready for.

"Kyoko!" His face turns a shade of crimson and he shies away from her.

"I'm sorry, Geoff, it's just that I… I can't wait to start the new spell! It's driving me crazy just to do it with you." She gives a little smirk and draws a little closer to him, brushing her breasts to his arm, which he finds pleasureable and awkward at the same time.

"Yes, yes the new spell! Uh, Kyoko…"

"Oh, Geoff!" She just realizes what has gotten into her and she shies away immediately, turning three shades of pink and crimson. "I…I…I'm sorry!" She bows her head to him. "I'll go make some tea, have a look around if you would, I'm sorry…" she turns away quickly and bolts to the kitchen.

"Kyoko…" he says as she has suddenly disappeared, leaving him to explore the intricacies of a perfectionist's room.

He is met just as quickly as Kyoko returns, seemingly having never left, "I'm back, here's your tea. Be careful it's hot." She sets the drink on the table and sits across from him.

"Kyoko, it's so… pristine," he says, awestruck by the abrubtness of her return, compounded by the delicate arrangements around him.

"Of course it is, Geoff, it's the way that I like it. You know me, always striving for perfection." There is nervousness in her tone that even Geoff can pick up on.

"Kyoko, about the spell," said Geoff, trying to get down to business. "Will it by any chance get us back into the portal?" His gaze lingers on her breasts, she picks up on this and began to blush a deep crimson, and in reply so does Geoff.

"Of… of course it will, Geoff, I know it." And he knows it. She says darkly in her mind. "Why don't you come a little closer, Geoff, I want to get a good look at your eyes." The faintest quirk of a smile lingers across her lips.

"Wha… what did you say? Kyoko I…" he can't finish what he is about to say because his mouth begins to quiver.

He appears to be distraught. She says to herself. She smiles, and manages to get a hold of herself, "Oh… yes the spell, it's sure to work, I have it right here." she reaches into her bosom and pulls out a tiny green notepad with intricate knotting gold leaf pattern adorning the edges. "I found this near the edge of the portal on the inside before it closed, it was just laying there, so I picked it up. And look, it has incantations." She shows him the notpad and smiles, positively glowing with the perfection of the room around her. "Don't you think it's pretty?"

"Oh… yes very pretty, very nicely put together." What is she thinking? he asks himself privately.

"What was that?" She tilts her head as if reading his very mind.

But how could she have read… "I said it's very pretty, your room is very pretty."

"You cannot hide from me, Geoff, I know your every secret, so there is no need to lie." At this he stiffens and begins to shake and sweat profusely. "Wow you look wet, Geoff, was the tea too hot? Now you're sweating let me get you a towel."

Geoff says, "No, no it's fine, this is really good tea and I could just cry it is so good. Honest!"

"Then let's get down to it then! Come closer, Geoff." She beckons with a seductive finger, thrusting out her breasts just a little bit.

"Kyoko… I…" he hesitates.

"Just come closer, we have to be touching for the spell to work, trust me, give me your hands."

"O…okay then." He gives them over, she places the spell book in the center between their outstretched arms. "Repeat this with me, read from the book."

They both look upon the book and repeat what is written:

**_"By the power vested in me,_**

**_and all that is holy and true,_**

**_in the pursuit of wisdom and courage:_**

**_we now give heed to our Lord above,_**

**_as we here touch and are one:_**

**_to open the path leading to the greatest justice,_**

**_mercy be between us._**

**_Now Open!"_**

**_Chapter 3: The Dream and the Beginning of Darkness_**

Kyoko and Geoff sat there cross legged, palms to palms, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Did you feel it?" Kyoko asks Geoff. "Oh it is so wonderful, I can feel it all over my body. It's so amazing! Ohhh!" She smiles, completely and utterly in a state of ecstasy, still holding palms to palms with Geoff, who apparantly feels nothing.

"I can't explain it, it's as if I know you, Kyoko, I know everything about you, I know what is going to happen and I know what has happened. I know you, Kyoko." He looks deep into her eyes.

"Ohhh, Geoff." She's gone, her ecstasy overtaking her, and she can no longer contain herself.

"Kyoko? Kyoko get a hold of yourself." He stares in disbelief at her form before him. "Kyoko it's him isn't it, he's controlling you."

"Geoff what are you talking about? Whatever it is, say it again, oh Geoff!" Complete, utter satisfaction, she sways her hair back and forth, bobbing up and down, absolutely oblivious to the boy in front of her.

Finally, Geoff reaches forward with both hands and clasps her shoulders. "Kyoko! Kyoko listen to me!" she sways under the pressure of his hands and his body.

"Oh Geoff… Ohh… Oh… huh? Oh… oh Geoff? There you are Geoff… I was just looking for you." She begins to drool and immediately she slumps over on top of Geoff and falls asleep. Leaving Geoff only guessing at what to do next, but with all of this newfound knowledge… I can… I can… whoa, why am I getting so tired all of the sudden? And slumping over atop Kyoko, he falls sound asleep right along with her.

"Interesting wouldn't you say, Nikora, they went straight for the sleeping spell, as planned." A tall, dark-haired boy speaks.

His friend, Nikora Takamuchi, a girl of certain darkness and poise listens and answers, "It seems I can trust you, Itoki Norishiba, or shall I call you Christoph North?" She glares at him through moonlit glasses in the house of Norishiba.

"Call me what you wish, it does not matter, even you, Nikora, are a part of my wonderful plan, I'm sure we can get along, as I am the only one holding sway over your world, and I assure you I have only the best at heart."

A shimmering in the void awaken another presence nearby, if only for a moment. "You are… not quite as ready as you say, are you? As a matter of fact I would say you are still afraid of something. What is it, Itoki Norishiba?"

"Only you, Nikora, know the answer to that question, and I'm sure… you.."

"Don't lie to me Itoki," Nikora interrupts, "something scares you, you are not so powerful as you believe in this world. Am I right?" She steps closer, closing the gap between the heart of Itoki, his mind.

"Nikora, please… please, stop it!"

_****_There is a shimmering as Kyoko awakes in a cold sweat, gasping for breath, hardly able to breathe. "Ahhh!" she screams, "Geoff what are you doing sleeping in my room!"

A squirming Geoff gapes his eyes open, startled, "Please! Stop!" He gasps, also in a cold sweat, until he notices an angry-eyed Kyoko. "You were asleep, and I saw you, and Harold and… and Itoki." Oblivious to the cold stare before him.

"Geoff… oh Geoff the spell, I remember now, we chanted a spell and must have fallen asleep, what is going on?"

"Kyoko, we have to go… to the forest!" He bolts to his feet.

"Right, yes we have to hurry," She reaches out her hand to stop him, "Just a minute, who is Harold?"

"I don't know, he was attacking you, I saw it, and I tried to stop him but… Itoki… he stopped him first."

"Something's not right here, how could we have confused each other's dream, there was… someone else in my dream, someone I've never seen before. Nikora… and Itoki… Itoki, he was in your dream too, what is going on?"

"I don't know but we have to find out fast, come let's go to the forest." they pack a small lunch for the both of them, sushi and rice balls and peices of bread. "Just in case."

"Something's missing, do you feel it, something is just not quite right, Harold… I've never heard of Harold." They talk on the way through the forest, Geoff in the lead, carrying packs on their backs with various tools needed for life in another dimension.

"I don't get it, why would I dream I've never met before named Harold, shine your light, Kyoko." He says unthinkingly, suddenly a warm glow emenates from behind him, it's Kyoko and she is shining a bright blue in the full moonlight, a flame in her eyes and an aura surrounding her. All of a sudden an electrical surge followed by a loud crack and a blinding light. Kyoko is hovering four feet above the ground and before her lies a portal… the other dimension from before.

But something is different as the edges glow red, and a lone figure emerges, a lady with long brown hair and a body fitted with cvlose fitting black leather and armor. "Hello, I know it is you, Itoki's pet, why don't you calm down and come with me Kyoko Nitsuke." She lifts her hand and as she does a flow of red electricity flows her fingers, surrounding Kyoko's body and instantly sapping the blue glow, draining all energy from her eyes as she collapses to the ground.

"Kyoko, no! What are you doing to her, stop, please! Please… please stop!" Geoff rushes over to the lady in black, attempting to stop her by force, but she simply gazes at him and he collapses to the ground.

"It is truly a pity, but you two must join me, seeing as miss Nitsuke has taken a liking to you. she lifts her hand and as she does both Kyoko and Geoff are lifted from the ground, and along with the lady in black disappear both into the new dimension.

**_Chapter 4: The Second Descent_**

Following the mishap a growing concern intensifies within Miranda. "Matsura could it be possible to go to the forest today, for a picnic maybe, I know a shady spot."

"We have no reason to go to the forest, why the forest anyway when we have a nice spot here on campus? Is there something bothering you?" He looks at her, a beautiful young woman in her teens and very attractive with her long brown hair and neat cut breasts and slender body. He peers into her eyes, searching for something.

"It's nothing Matsura I just feel like being alone with you in the forest. You know, for some… intimacy."

"I don't know, Miranda… you better not try anything… too serious." He looks her up and down again and moves in closer and touches her hands with his. "As long as it's with you, I'll go."

"Okay!"

Meanwhile, an unconscious Geoff and Kyoko lay hidden deep in the clutches of the darkness of another dimension. Something is holding them in bonds as they begin to awaken, and finally as they wake up fully the bonds let go for an unkown reason.

"Where… are we, Kyoko?" It's Geoff completely covered in black goo, "This is disgusting."

"I… I don't know Geoff, but you can hear me and I you… it's so dark in here, I can't see anything." She hears sniffing.

"It sure does stink in here… can you walk?" Geoff stands up, holding out his hands in front of his face and starts walking in the direction of Kyoko's voice.

"Yes, I'm free to move around, but my nose is burning, it smells like sulfur and alchohol… and ammonia… are we in some kind of science experiment… Ow!" In darkness both Kyoko and Geoff collide head to head. "Ow that really hurt Kyoko, what is your head made out of diamonds?" She laughs at his statement and Geoff cannot help but laugh himself.

"At least you know how to compliment me, Geoff, be glad you're smart boy because I sure am." She giggles under her breath.

"I'm glad you can keep your cool at a time like this. I mean we're in an unknown place and here we are cracking heads." They both laugh, almost to the point of histeria until they remember how they got here.

"What happened anyway, why are we here? Why am I not worried to be here, do you know anything, Geoff?" The air is silent and dark for awhile.

"You… started to glow, and then there was a loud crack and a portal appeared… and a lady in black leather stepped out and engulphed you in what looked like red lightening I tried to stop her but… that's all I remember, and now I'm here with you again, in a dark place with stinky air."

"I… remember entering the forest… we were laughing about something, and then for some reason I can't remember anymore. What's going on?"

There is a noise in the distance, an echoing in the dark, like a peice of wood slapping against a steel floor.

"You heard that, be still don't say anything." Silence, there is nothing that makes another noise yet an eerie sense and a strange feeling that the space around them has gotten smaller. All of a sudden there are lights, and there are trees, and there is sunlight and a sea breeze distant, tangy, beyond the deep forest, the familiar forest surrounding the campus of Norishiba High School. Geoff and Kyoko are on top of each other, holding themselves and sitting the ground. and just as suddenly come Miranda and Matsura to witness the lovely spectacle before them.

"I knew it all along, Kyoko, so this is where you have been hiding, you and Geoff, ha!" She almost glares at them both, point her finger at the two of them.

"It.. it's not what you think Miranda, we just… bumped into each other is all." An embarassed Geoff says, standing up, holding Kyoko's hand and lifting her to her feet.

"Alright Geoff, way to go I never knew you had it in you!"

"I'm sure that's really fast talk for a pervert like you Geoff."

"Miranda No it's nothing like that we were just… picnicing and fell over one another, honest it's the truth." A flustered Kyoko speaks up.

"Could have foold me." Miranda adopts a haughty stance crossing her arms under her breasts.

Miranda can you calm down a bit I'm sure you are just thinking the very worst about them right now, I mean look at them they are clothed by the way."

"Thank you Matsura."

"Don't defend them Matsura you know exactly what is going on."

"What is going on, Miranda?" Kyoko asks.

"What's going on, you were on top of Geoff, that's what's going on!"

"Miranda it's nothing really, we really did bump into each other and fall down and that's it." says Kyoko.

"Do you mind if we just calm down a bit Miranda, I'm sure there was no harm done."

Suddenly there is a glow beneath Miranda's feet and a bubble appears around Matsura and Miranda and everything begins to fade to violet purple and blackness. Soon the darkness is again absolute with no possible hope for light.

"Time for a bit of seperation don't you think?" It's a women's voice the same lady as before who brought them to this new dimension. Suddenly a flash blinds them with red electricity encircling each of them in a bubble and lifts them high, flinging each as far from each other as possible, no longer in the realm of light and trees, Matsura; and Miranda.

Off they fly, each to their own dungeon at the bidding of a lady shrouded in darkness and mystery, who will find them to escape?

**_Chapter 5: The Secret Room_**

Sitting by the trees just beyond campus is Itoki Norishiba, aire to Norishiba and richest high schooler in Edimara Central. He is a tall and mature young man dressed in only the best dark suits and completely dark soft hair and sunlit glasses, eyesight marring perfection in every way and social grace. Studying, but with perfect grades, it is not mere school work that holds his attention, no nothing so subtle as that. It is an artifact, but no mere ruin or ancient technology. Nothing so simple as that. It has a shape and a form seemingly out of nowhere.

"And neither you can simply see it." Itoki speaks.

"Ah yes but can you control it?" A voice, a lone figure clouded in shadows and hidden in sound.

Determination, "Don't test me. You know what it is capable of."

"In capable hands, yes, but you have given your power to another, and I am not one to play games Itoki."

"You will see its true power this way, test me and you shall feel its fury."

"Do you know what you are dealing with, Itoki? Do you understand it's all whimsicality, there is nothing important and you can't handle it, can you, Itoki."

"You say my name as if you own it but I assure you it will all be revealed in time you will see."

"Itoki Itoki grown weak I see, not much going for you, no one calling out your true name, does it hurt?"

"Stop it, please, just stop Leave me alone!"

"You are not ready, and you never will be will you?"

"Just… stop please."

"Pitiful." The lone figure stands, "Who is going to hear you now? You are alone, no one to listen to you, no one to hear you. My, I must be useless, absolutely. useless."

"No, you're wrong, you are strong nothing can phase you have the power and respect of your people, and their admiration shall not be diminished!" Now Itoki stands triumphant.

"You're weak and miserable, nothing important about you that's right and for certain you will never win this this little game you play, don't count on it!" With that last phrase the lone figure vanishes from thought and circumstance, who shall stand behind him now?

"There is only one thing I must do now." He lifts his hand and a light shines before him, sunlight, he stands erect as a portal into another dimension is opened and quickly and boldly steps through, closing the portal behind him.

"Itoki, it's Itoki, look everyone, he's back." The whole school is chattering at the return of Norishiba after his extended month-long absence.

Itoki enters into his secret office space in the school. Inside a woman in black awaits him. "Geoff, I need to speak with Geoff."

"Why, Norishiba, you know that shall accomplish nothing, if anything it shall only anger me, and your little power along with it, your little friend?"

"There is something I need to show him, only a power he possesses."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, it's impossible seeing as they are occupied at the moment, now if you will excuse me." She stands, adjusting her glasses and heads for the door. "It's official business you understand, no interference on my part." She says as she exits elegantly, casually glancing back at the gentleman now standing alone in his secret room.

"Wait." taken suddenly by his persistence she pauses, "You know of my power, I bring you my power." He holds out his hand and faces her, who has also given Itoki her full attention. "Here it is," His hand begins to glow a white hot, blinding them both, persisting for several minutes until he begins to mold the light and shape it into a form, a human form standing between them still white hot and glowing, the figure shifts and bends his knees and as she does so the bright light begins to fade and there she kneels, human flesh formed around her, naked. She speaks "Shimiya Tetsinuya, I am the mind of Itoki Norishiba."

Dumb fouunded, she can't find the words to describe what she sees.

Before she has a chance to react, the woman moves. "Nikora, I see you and your suffering. I know what you are going through. Show me your darkness and I will heal you. Rest in my arms, Nikora, my love, my desire." She moves closer to her and envelopes her in the warmth and light of her body and arms. "Show me your burdens and I will make you free, as free as the willow tree and as soft as skin. Love me, hold me, cling to me, and I will heal you."

"Itoki it is you, she, Shimiya is you, you are Itoki Norishiba, Shimiya Tetsinuya."

"Nikora, dear Nikora, come to me." she holds out her arms in a willing embrace, beckoning Nikora to come. "Nikora it is imperative that we speak with Geoff."

"Shimiya don't ever leave me. You are the only one for me. Why, oh why do we need Geoff?" nikora hugs her deeply. "When all I need is you?"

"Nikora, we need order, stability, without Geoff and without awakening his true power we will be vulnerable to darkness, a seed must awaken inside of Geoff for us to stand a chance against the coming darkness." Itoki lifts his hands and immediately Shimiya disappears, leaving Itoki alone with Nikora.

"Oh, Shimiya! Shimiya where did you go? I need you, Shimiya!" She falls to her knees, bringing her hands to cover her tears.

Itoki approaches her and gently moves her hands from her eyes, and moves in swiftly and softly kisses her on the lips. With relish Nikora returns his kiss with salty tears tasting on their tongues.

Itoki and Nikora gaze deep into each other's eyes, learning and understanding each other. "Nikora, you are the one for me. I love you, Nikora, I could never live without you." A light begins to envelope the room, this time emanating directly from Nikora's heart and from Itoki's heart a flame erupts encircling each other with light and fire. And as it is done each move in for a passionate kiss, shining a beacon from their mouths as each meld into the other and become one being, understanding one another perfectly. As wings of flame and light erupt from their backs and love's passion envelopes them a portal is open and immediately the room grows dark, and the erupts into dazzling rays of sunlight and trees and fields as each stand atop a vast and enormous temple giving audience to their passion a sea of people below cheering as cheering for a wedding ceremony. Itoki and Nikora stand side by side, wings spread wide, hand held high, and bow to the throngs of people before them.

"The Emperor is back, the queens is here!" Shout the enlightened throng.

**_Chapter 6: The Opposite Side of Forever_**

Darkness and chains, Kyoko cannot move. Geoff on the opposite side of forever can neither hear nor see as well.

"Geoff how did you get yourself into this mess?" It's the voice of a certain owl. "I mean you could have listened to me in the first place and stayed away from Kyoko, who has obviously gotten you into more trouble than a broken computer. I guess there is no use questioning it you are very smart but very dumb. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I thought you were a good friend, but then… Kyoko. What can I say I think I like her. But then you were lying to me, you must have been, Kyoko would have never broken my computer like that I refuse to believe it."

"It's funny really, you're the one in chains and darkness and you still think you're right, what could have possibly been going through your brain? Oh no don't tell me, I've read the book before I know how it ends. But you can't see it and you know what? You remind me of someone I knew way back long ago, well beyond your time. Reckless, how did he manage to survive?" The voice fades into darkness, growing fainter by the moment.

Geoff tests his chains but he cannot make them budge, he puts all strength into his hands squeezing them, trying to slip through the shackles at his wrists but nothing but chaffed skin and stinging blisters on both hands. "I can't get free," he tells the darkness, completely unable to move. "Somebody help! Whoray, help me out of here!"

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Impossible, you're stuck." The owl returns, but are those footsteps I hear? Wet, sticky footsteps "You think Nikora will let you free? do you?" Ahead, warm air, breath, darkness fill the closed room like a presence, a body, filling his nostrils with cold damp and warm damp at the same time.

"Can you help me Whoray, can you help me get free?"

"You think I can help you? You think I am made of skin? Just as it is impossible for you to free youself, it is impossible for me to free you. Why the desparation, calm down and be patient." A streak of air, a breeze. "I guess I can give you a clue, it involves your father, you remember him don't you? I'm sure he would have taught you something about escaping from a situation such as this. This is all the help I can give you."

Silence, the presence is gone, the air is mildly more breatheable.

"My father, how does he factor into all of this? Oh no, here it goes!" A light, a dark flame, he remembers his father, that fateful night when all went wrong, his experiment out of hand, the uncontrollable fire, the highly caustic materials, and… the smell the laughter, a presence filling the room, laughing at him, and father he appears, holding the knife… just as quickly the vision takes hold it vanishes, fading into the damp dark. There is no one to hear him whimper.

Kyoko meanwhile, under a similar fate finds herself amused. "Look at everything, so bright and shining I could sing." And she does

**_"Mystical sunshine deep inside my heart_**

**_I long for the heat of your passion_**

**_so deep is your love, my heart is penetrated_**

**_I feel the warmth of your embrace, though_**

**_you are far away, and I know we will_**

**_be together again."_**

_****_"The love song of pure adolescence, free as a child whole in embrace and light in the face of darkness. Kyoko you are so pure and innocent even in the most trying of circumstances." A voice not unlike the voice of before a lady known for her imprisonment of the two lovers, clasps her hands and bows before Kyoko. "I knew there was a reason I brought you here, and you have sung for me and for this I must thank you."

It grows quiet, Kyoko has heard her audience speak, "Who's there?"

A being steps from the shadows illuminating an amber light, glowing with warmth. "It is I big sister, known to you as Nikora. I longed to hear you sing and here you are, singing a melody in my presence, in this darkness no less."

"What do you want with me, little sister? I've heard and felt you near, I don't mind being put here, in this dungeon of dark design, at least it smells of you." A tension fills the air, telluric currents felt through the darkness.

"I wish to end this upon you, Big sister, to set you free, but I can't, I am as much trapped as you are, with no possible escape, the one I follow… I am a slave."

"There is something else, something new about you, tell me, little sister, what is it?"

"I'm in love! I am free and now I know I can set you free without fear."

"But still something troubles you, something distant, why do I get the feeling that this is from me? How do I frighten you?"

"Kyoko, I cannot see you, it is dark in here. Won't you brighten up the room again with your singing?"

"Very well, Nikora I will sing a song to brighten your mood." A melody of silver brightens the room as Kyoko closes her eyes and sings:

**_"Of all the things to see_**

**_sister you are mine_**

**_troubles float away as_**

**_the echo of night's full moon_**

**_rises in this room, our hearts_**

**_are full of brightness and_**

**_silvery light and you are_**

**_the comfort of my soul."_**

_****_Nikora smiles in the light emanating from Kyoko and as she does she turns and vanishes, leaving the room and Kyoko alone.

**_Chapter 7: The Despair_**

_****_There is nothing to do, no possible escape, I'll die here I'm sure of it, it's so dark, my chains hurt my wrists, I cannot feel them anymore. I must get free even if my heart aches. Who is on my side? Can there be freedom? I want to stay here and waste away. But why? I can't even do that in peace. there is no escape. Why? Why!? Someone tell me, darkness bind me, never let me go. I can't get to her. I, I must try, but the build up is so intense, what has gotten in to me? Why am I thinking like this? Have I given up? It is so comfortable not doing anything. But you, you must still believe in me? Who are you? Where are you? Bird! Where are you? I can't even think of your species anymore! Whoray! Why? Why do I call out to you when you can't even hear me? I'm supposed to call out for Kyoko. I'm supposed to like girls. I like girls! Don't lie to me! You can't deny the truth. the truth is a lie! You are a lie. I love her. I love Kyoko, and nothing you can say to me will deny it. I will never leave Kyoko ever!

"But you like me, don't you Geoff? You can't get enough of me. I'm your constant companion. Geoff, it is inevitable, you like me more than her, your precious Kyoko, I'm sure of it."

"Liar! It's all a lie, this prison is a lie, this darkness is a lie! I don't live here in this darkness. I love her! I love Kyoko!" Darkness and silence follow and sink into nothingness. There is no one except for Geoff, alone in the darkness.

"I… have to find Geoff, he needs me, he's lost. Nikora, where can I find Geoff? You know don't you, where Geoff is?"

"You of all people, Kyoko, must know I cannot show you where Geoff is hiding. Why would he care about you? You did smash his computer after all."

"No, he doesn't care about his computer, he told me himself, he's forgiven me for it. He needs me I just know it, Nikora you must tell me!"

"Try all you want, you'll never get me to find him for you, we are enemies after all."

"Something I must tell him, let me free!" Light surrounds Kyoko and emanates from her chest, a pulsing blue flame brightens the very essence of the room. Soon the shackles glow white hot and melt like molten glass and an energy aura surrounds Kyoko, causing her dark hair to stand on end. "I must… find Geoff!" She vanishes, a streak of light quickly falling before Nikora, who is stunned by her dramatic dissappearance.

Just as quickly she reappears, and it is in Geoff's cell, with an unconscious Geoff lying in a heap next to the wall. Quickly Kyoko approaches him and gently places a glowing hand atop Geoff's wrist. She notices the shackles and with a wave of her hand the shackles melt away and she scoops Geoff up into her arms, opens a portal into their homeworld, and vanishes, quickly appearing in the forest surrounding the school grounds. Not a moment later she is carrying Geoff to her home so she and he can catch some much needed rest.

Geoff lies asleep next to Kyoko naked and covered with a blanket, Kyoko too, lies naked. Their bodies warm each other. Kyoko has treated his wrists and bandaged them. Kyoko's smooth skin presses into Geoff's back and legs, never the less he remains unconscious. The intense energy remains hidden deep inside of Kyoko, once again lying dormant. Kyoko opens her eyes, slowly awakening from her ordeal. And she notices Geoff sleep unconscious right in front of her. At first her cheeks blush red hot at the notion of and then realizes she has pressed her entire body to his and can feel every inch of his warm body and smooth backside. She presses closer, wrapping her arms around his chest, bringing her head to his neck she sniffs him, getting a feel for his scent, it is so intoxicating, so masculine, it smells like Geoff, and content that he won't go anywhere she snuggles closer in the embrace, pressing her breasts against him and falls back to sleep.

**_Chapter 8: The Experiment_**

_****_"Itoki, he is unconscious, I'm sure you know already, you cannot help him." It is the voice of Nikora residing in the secret room on campus. Nikora stands before Itoki from her own dimension via a portal.

"Nikora I know, I put him that way, it is the only possible way to bring out his power." Itoki stands, moving towards a control panel on the far wall opposite the entrance and enters a few codes. The wall disappears, opening to a vast sanctuary filled with hovering experiments and scientists scurrying this way and that scanning and observing, jotting down notes on note pads and computer screens. A particularly elderly scientist holds a syringe filled with a dark green metalic liquid and injects the serum into the dorsal abdomen of what appears to be a floating muscle ball. After recieving the injection begins to spin slowly at first and then with surprising speed, and it begins to glow a bright green, filling the entire facility with blinding green-white light (thankfully the scientists all got their light dampener goggles on in time) and quickly the ball disappears with a loud pop! Vanishing into what would appear to be thin air.

The whole room applauds, even with slight cheers and gasps from the newer scientists. "Excellent, Professor Mordon, you've seemed to perfect the translocation serum, it is why you are my top scientist."

Professor Mordon looks with surprise upon his benefactor Itoki. "Why Master Norishiba, it's a pleasure to see you here, and only with your help and exclusive supply of interdimensional raw materials we've been able to do this."

"Professor Mordon you are relieved. I have a new assignment for you. You and your study team are to report to me in my office immediately."

"M.. Master Norishiba… of course Master."

Professor Mordon follows Itoki to the office, with a minor nervous twitch in his left arm.

"Professor Mordon you have served me well. Your performance under my Father's business and in our laboratories have been proven to be of the utmost quality and sophistication. Your dedication to perfection and your solid team of scientists of brought this school and our country to the age of the future. This is why, Robert, that I wish to assign you and your study team to begin your research, inside the interdimensional portal."

"Master Norishiba, thank you. We will do as you say. You can count on us to research the area with full ramifications and discipline."

"Excellent, Professor, and here take this," Itoki tosses the Professor a small dark spherical ball that fits inside the Professor's hand perfectly. "I'm sure you will find it useful very soon."

**_Chapter 9: Classes_**

A cool breeze begins to blow in the city and around Norishiba High School, and the skies grow cloudy. The very essence of rain fills the air with the smell preceding the beginning drops slowly falling to the Earth. High Schoolers walk calmly to their classes of the morning, some bumping into familiar faces greeting each other and occasionally laughing.

Kyoko walks briskly on the sidewalk, her uniform dress catching mildly in the wind, her soft, black silk hair billowing from the cold downdrafts and moist with new drizzle. Behind her, Geoff is running towards her.

"Wait, wait for me Kyoko!" having just woken up from unconsciousness a day earlier he begins to collapse forward. And Kyoko rushes in to keep him from falling over, but instead his books are so heavy instead of Kyoko holding him up Geoff collapses on her and they both fall to the ground.

The sky opens up then, pouring heavily on the two sprawling together on the ground, thankfully Matsura saw them in time and picked them both onto their feet and hoisting Geoff's bags on his back, who then falls over himself and Kyoko and Geoff begin to laugh.

Itoki casually walks by, and he just so happens to be holding a large umbrella.

"Here, perhaps I can help you all avoiding sitting in damp school uniforms. Although I enjoy the rain, soggy bottoms are not my idea of fun. I've also prepared each of you with a spare uniform to change into before class. Perhaps you would care to walk with me?"

"Oh look at you Itoki, aren't you suave. No thanks buddy I'll just run to class." said Matsura slik brown hair wet with rain dribbling down his eyes, "catch ya later!" He bolts off like a streak of lightening, Geoff could have sworn he saw him disappear and reappear for a second… but maybe he just blinked his eyes.

"Well then, Kyoko, Geoff, shall we be off?"

"Right, let's go." It was Kyoko who said it without the slightest pause but something in it almost gave Geoff pause.

"Geoff is it? You seem quiet, something bothering you?" Itoki asks.

"Oh, n-no, nothing's wrong." He picks up his backpack and puts it on his back with ease.

"Itoki… (it really is you isn't it?) thank you." She looks at his face, his resolute, calm, and sophisticated presence.

"(Yes, it is me, Kyoko, the light of the dawn has risen in your eyes) Kyoko will you hold this please?" He hands the umbrella to her and she accepts. "I simply must open the door for you two." He does and something happens, the portal through the door goes black, swirling with purple light, but only for an instant and Geoff looks to see Kyoko standing next to him, she pauses and looks at him and smiles.

"Don't be afraid, Geoff, I'll let you hold the umbrella when we get out of class."

They walk through the door and head for classes. There is nothing to hinder them, except for the giant floating door in front of them. With a puff Geoff blinks it away, only a hallucination, nothing serious. Itoki however, walks, no hovers straight up to the door that is no longer a hallucination, opens the latch and enters. The door vanishes as soon as the door shuts and not a sound is heard, Geoff and Kyoko continue on toward their classes having seen nor heard anything of Itoki's departure. Geoff could not shake this overwhelming feeling that he'd seen all of this before, the nuances of conversation between students the paths of every single individual seemed a multiple of a bygone time, but at the same time. Kyoko glances over at Geoff and smiles, and this startles Geoff, as if Kyoko had been standing there turning to smile at him for eternity. His heart began to flutter.

"Geoff are you going to walk through the door?" Stunned is a word beyond which Geoff can comprehend, what meaning what nuance, what significance for this very moment.

"Kyoko I…" Without thinking he leans in and kisses her soft warm delicate lips. The moment lasts forever, nothing can stop them, no obstacle, no pain, no humiliation, just lingering stillness as they gaze into each other's eyes. And she sees it, the entire school transform into darkness, sinister, yet even the presence of new evil and a dark dimension cannot quench the flaming passion of embrace. Nothing can seperate them, not even the now total darkness engulphing the entire school.

For an instant it is darkness that fills the void between Geoff and Kyoko. Yet now the two as one heart shine in the darkness revealing with flame the cavern of moths before them. A blanket of silent wings erupt as one flying to the passion of the two lovers and ignite in flying flame, with each burst and each moth the school in light begins to appear, and finally, as the kiss ends they stand in awe of one another in the hallway, greeted by a crowd of observers including the teacher.

"Kyoko, Geoff, what are you doing in the hallway, it's time for class!"

"Right, teacher, let's go inside." Kyoko says it, look once more into Geoff's blue eyes. And he looks just as deeply into her green eyes and each head for their desks to sit down. They notice everyone staring at them as if waiting for them to burst into passionate love yet agin. But they do nothing of the sort. They sit down quietly next to each other and focus their attention on the teacher and begin jotting down notes.

"Who can tell me what this is?" Of all things to choose from as a topic of discussion, the teacher is holding a key, but not just a normal key, it's cubical in shape with line notches spiraling downward, about the size of her hand. As Geoff views the key it is glowing a low frequency violet, Emanating from the notches.

Kyoko's hand shoots up and says "It's a key, but not just any key. This is a key to another dimension."

"I'm sure you know everythning there is to know about this… rune Nitsuke, but I assure you it is not a key and it certainly does not lead to another dimension."

"Check again, with the right focus of thought and sound energy this rune key will resonate producing energy enough to sustain a portal to another dimension precisely where it is held."

Geoff seems indignant "And how did you know that, Kyoko?"

"I've seen it done before… in the forest, don't you remember?"

"Kyoko… there has never been a forest around here before."

"Impossible, you and I were just there the other day, how can you say that?"

"Now just wait one moment, what are you two arguing about?" It was the teacher

"Miss Shozomo, there is a forest surrounding Norishiba, just take a look for yourself."

Kyoko gets up from her seat, walks to the window and looks outside, and as far as her eyes can see the school is surrounded by white sands of a desert.

How can this be? She asks herself, she doesn't understand where she is or how she got here. Why now? What is going on? Is Geoff really Geoff? Is she really here or is she dreaming? In response she reaches for the window glass and to her astonishment her hand bends the glass and easily passes through as if it were water. Taking the next step she walks straight through the wall and the glass, leaving the classroom behind and the shifting sands before her. She takes a look around as everything vanishes, the school, the trees, even the new buildings before her disappear. There is a fold in space, a shimmering of waves rippling through the air. She can smell the hot, dry air and feel the heat of the sun shining brightly above. She looks before her as a dark black fox appears in front of her, gazing at her from the shifting sands. Immediately the fox jumps at her, bearing fangs, and jumps inside of her, disappearing into the depths of her soul. The pain and emotion is so intense she clutches her heart and screams in agony, but no one can hear her as her voice echoes into the hot, sandy air. Suddenly her eyes light up with purpose, meaning, feeling. Suddenly she realizes her reason for existence. Immediately she dispatches the illusion surrounding her. The pain is no longer pain but poise. The air surrounding her is the forest, the portal of her origination. She closes the portal behind her as she expediently disappears into nothingness.

**_Chapter 10: The Grades_**

The days go on as usual at Norishiba High School, without a word of rumor about strange portals or occurences around campus, everything is completely normal. Miranda, however, is distraught.

"Finals, tomorrow?! But I'm not even remotely prepared, how could this have happened so quickly. One day I was actually studying, the next thing I know it's time for finals, have I missed something, like the whole plot?" She rants to he close friend Nikora, who seems to take everything in stride.

"Calm down would you, if you would like I can help you study tonight no problem, with my new and improved study techniques you'll be ready in no time, and that's all the time you'll ever need." She smiles at Miranda as she takes a sandwhich out of her lunch box, it's a tuna sandwhich with a side of eggroll. She takes out a second sandwhich and offers it to Miranda, "Here eat this, it will calm your nerves so we can talk about more important things."

"You're right as usual, Nikora, thank you." She takes the sandwhich and bites off the corner, chews and swallows and takes a sip of her coffee. "So what does your fool-proof plan involve this **time**, fireworks or something?"

"You'll just have to find out, you know how I like to work in secret."

"Fine by me. I'm just glad you want to help, I really have no idea how this snuck up on me so suddenly. You wouldn't happen to have anymore eggrolls would you?" She smiles at Nikora, her most goofy smile.

Nikora smiles back "Of course!" she reaches in her luch box and pulls out another eggroll and hands it to Miranda. "You'll need all the energy you can get."

Miranda takes the eggroll and downs it in two bites, using a napkin to gently pat her mouth clean. "Wow you really do make excellent eggrolls, I'll have to find out what you use in your recepie."

"If you can actually catch me making them you're welcome to use my recepie." They both laugh a hearty laugh at one another.

Miranda getting as close as she can to tickle Nikora but failing and ends up bonking her head on her shoulder. "So tell me what do you think about that boy Itoki, huh?"

"Speaking of which, Miranda, you better watch out he's only a few feet away from you." Miranda freezes and glances to the left and there he is. He is holding a clipboard and a writing utensil, while appearing to survey the students as they pass by. He stops for a moment and makes a sideways glance at Miranda, forcing her to blush and look away. At this Nikora laughs, "Miranda you are so funny, your face is red."

"It… it is not!" She clearly is beet red with embarrassement.

"Say what you wish!" She chuckles again. At that moment the bell rings, signaling for afternoon classes to start.

"Right, let's get going, we have a lot of catching up to do."

On their way Miranda takes a glance in Itoki's direction only to discover he is not there, Nikora catches this and decides to comment "You know you can make a house call if you are really interested. I'm sure he'd be happy to have you as a guest."

"What? How could you think of such a thing, there is no way I'd do that!"

"I'd say the opportunity has presented itself, he did glance in your direction after all."

"But that's hardly a reason to go to his house uninvited, not to mention rude. Besides I have more important things to worry about."

"And what would that be miss Sunidori?" Itoki has appeared out of nowhere, almost out of thin air.

"Ahh, I-Itoki!"

"You see, miss Sunidori, I would like to accompany you as well, to help you with your finals, I have quite a talent for helping those in your situation, one would even say I am a super hero in these matters, so how about it, may I join you tonight in your endeavors at finals study?"

Miranda blushes fiercely, raising her hand to fix the glasses on her cheek. "Itoki, this is so sudden… I'd be delighted if you'd join."

"Right then, I shall meet you at six." He turns the corner and vanishes just as quickly as he appeared, leaving Miranda in shock and unexpected pleasure, her hair ruffled and a giggling Nikora by her side. they both exchange glances as they enter the classroom.

"Alright, settle down class, let's review the chapter on biochemical mass." says Professor Shizuki Nimura.

Biochemical mass proved to be a difficult subject of study that afternoon during class, as Miranda could only focus on her impending doom. However, after an excruciating hour the class was finally over and she was gathered up by her friend, Nikora. "Now it's time for the real fun, get ready, Miranda, you're about to be put on high gear."

"Thanks for reminding me I'm going to fail." She slumps over in despondence.

"Mind your words Miranda, that's no way to be thinking. Come with me and we'll be at my house in no time, we know you will get it done and ready by tomorrow."

It is a beautiful afternoon sun with streaks of yellow dashing across the scattered clouds high in the stratosphere, a lovely day after all of the rain. miranda and Nikora walk side by side heading to Nikora's house in preparation for the eve of finals and just as promised, there is Itoki awaiting the two on her front porch.

"Ah lovely to meet you here Itoki, this is such a pleasure."

Itoki's gaze meets with Nikora, "Likewise Nikora, it is a real pleasure. Let's get to work then shall we, Miranda, Nikora, please lead the way."

"Of course, but I feel as if it should be you to lead us."

Miranda blushes a deep crimson, unable to respond.

"Miranda, you sure are lovely this evening, I cannot wait to help you with your finals study, I assure you my methods have never failed." He ushers her inside following Nikora and begins to take off his shoes once inside.

Nikora smiles, "This way!" She beckons them both into her room and closes the door behind her. As it turns out her room is large enough for all three of them including the bed at the far right corner next to the window.

A shadow appears at the window, it is the figure of a young woman with flowing blonde hair. And just as soon as she appears at the window she is now inside the room, observing the three others, as each of them gaze and stare in disbelief she looks upon each of them and smiles.

Itoki, knowing precisely who this woman is, says only one thing, "Shimiya."

"Surprised to see me, Itoki?"

"On the contrary, I summoned you here, it is your very destiny, for you see, I am to dissappear, and you are to take my place of very existence." With that Itoki vanishes, and in his place is Shimiya.

"Shimiya?" Nikora asks. "Weren't you going to show us how to study for the finals, you said you had a fool-proof plan."

"N-Nikora…? How do you know me?" Dumbfounded, how does she know who I am?

"Shimiya, you were the one who suggested we get together and study, we do have finals after all. And you said you have a method that has never failed, unless you are lying to me?"

"Nikora!" Miranda exclaims. "Please Shimiya, she doesn't mean to accuse you of lying, did you Nikora? And besides I'm just glad you're here, as a matter I feel more studious already just that you are here." At this Miranda begins to blush a bit, unaware that she may actually have personal feelings, deep hidden feelings for Shimiya she never knew she had.

Shimiya cannot quite believe what has happened, has Nikora and Miranda always know her to be right here in front of them, and in fact has always been a part of their lives and in person? Then suddenly she realizes what she was meant to do, as if by invisible urging realizes exactly her mission and why. But there is something missing from this. what has happened? "Of… of course I'll show you. You see, I do know the perfect fail safe plan for your passing the finals, and it's this—" and from behind her back she pulls out a box of bento sushi for everyone.

"Sushi!" exclaim Miranda and Nikora, excited to see the delicacies now before them.

"I knew you'd pull through Shimiya!" exclaims Miranda while grabbing six bites of spicy tuna.

"Then let's get to work shall we!" exclaims Nikora.

And Shimiya smiles to everyone and closes her eyes as if in prayer and gives thanks to the one who inspired her and all of her actions and deeds.

"This is my sacred mission, my most holy duty. Kill all finals! Rgahhhhh!" Shimiya yells as loud as she can, waking the neighbors and completely frightening Miranda and Nikora.

"No way, Shimiya! what are you doing, you can't do that, it isn't possible, you'll enter another dimension and never come out the same, changed forever!" Miranda yells, screaming at Shimiya.

Nikora decides to join in, "What are you two Yelling about!?" Stop this immediatly right now pronto." Suggests Miranda.

"Miranda, Nikora, quickly we need to open up a portal to find Geoff, the love of my life now!"

"Geoff, who's he, what are you talking about Shimiya are you going through psychosis, are you a complete utter psycho?"

Kyoko says "Why so frantic, what is wrong with the author anyway, why is he making us dissappear?"

"No way, who are you and where did you come from?" Immediately Kyoko vanishes and none of them remember a thing. In fact none of them remembers anything that has happened in the last five minutes. Finally Miranda speaks up, "So math is my worst subject. Sushi!" She eats the spicy tuna roll and instantly knows every mathematical equation know to woman kind.

"Wow Miranda you know everything, there is no way you can fail the test now, I guess we are done then! See you tomorrow!"

"Wait Nikora something is not right, we are forgetting english aren't we, don't you have a final in english tomorrow?"

"Shimiya, Nikora, Miranda nice to meet you all I am James Roberts, the author of this long short story, how are each of you doing?"

"James huh… and what are you doing in my house?" Nikora looks furious.

"Hi James, I'm Shimiya nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Miranda; it's good to see you again." She smiles a delicate smile.

"Close the portal. James, do it now!"

"Absolutely." James snaps his fingers together once and immediately everything is back to normal.

At once all three girls blink and close their eyes and clap their hands to each other's around the study group and books and papers on the floor of the carpet.

"Let's do this!" Immediately they begin to study furiously, not letting up for six hours without a break. Finally and all at once each of them closes their books.

"Done." Says Miranda.

"All done." says Nikora.

"Finished!" exclaims Shimiya.

"Goodnight Miranda, Shimiya, see you tomorrow good luck with your finals!"

"You too Nikora." Says Miranda.

"Yeah you too." Says Shimiya.

"Goodnight" Says Nikora, and closes the door behind them.

**_Chapter 11: The Place_**

Nikora wakes up the next morning to find herself floating in space, and neither Earth, nor Moon, nor Sun can at all be seen. Thankfully she is in a breathable capsule the exact size and shape of her house on Earth. At first she does not realize this, thinking only that she woke up in the night, but when she looks out the window she sees a great expanse of stars where the ground should have been.

She checks her house for her parents but does not find them, checks the phone to see if she can call her friends but to no avail. Finally after several hours she gets hungry… and does not find any food anymore, thankfully she does find several gallons of water fit for about a week. Baffled and perplexed by these events, she begins to call out the names of her friends, feeling that maybe she shall be able to contact them, maybe by some miracle of telepathy. She thinks hard about what to do and remembers all of her early science fiction books that she has ever read and begins to concentrate very hard, she is trying to teleport herself back home me by sheer force of will. Suddenly he is quiet, contemplating typos and stories she has written and wonders what it would be like if suddenly one of her many typos were to come true. For no apparent reason a light flashes in the middle of her room, but only for a moment. "Hello? Is anybody there?" She asks the empty room.

"Yes." A voice from the kitchen. Nikora rushes to investigate, but upon arrival she finds no one there.

"I heard a voice say 'yes', are you still here, if you are please answer me."

"Answer me." The voice whispers… from inside her room.

"Hello are you there. I just heard you. your voice came from the hall but I cannot see you."

"I am here." the voice comes from behind her, whispering again. "Can you see me?" The light flashes again, this time from the living room.

"I just saw a light."

"That is not me. I am over here." The light shines again, this time from the hall.

"What are you doing, why won't you show your self?"

"But I have. I'm simply… here." The voice falls silent.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Where did you go? Hello? Hello!?"

There is no answer. Nothing has changed as Nikora begins to tear up, holding her knees to her breasts, hiding her face and begins to wet her legs with her tears. the house continues to drift through space, orbiting in a slow tilt and yaw. For reasons undiscovered the gravity inside remains Earth constant 9.8 meters per second per second.

After several weeks Nikora discovers that at her rate of revolution and rotation the stars do a complete circuit each twenty-four hour period. Thankfully her clock still works. For some reason she hasn't gotten hungry for the past fifty-two days, although her rate of sleep has been consistent with an earth sleep cycle of sixteen hours of awake time followed by eight hours of sleep. A certain clockwork has taken hold over her. She can't explain either, what has held her fascination for each day. A certain drive has developed in her patterns like a fire that cannot be put out.

To the best of her knowledge she has not had an instance of the being she met at the beginning of her journey. Not for lack of trying to communicate either as every day she attempts to contact the being in order to find a way to go back and return to her planet. Her attempts have been unsuccessful. Once, for twenty hours straight, she managed to talk to her self in the mirror trying to get the mirror to talk back but to no avail. Somehow Nikora thought this was funny and began to laugh at herself. Only to hear her laughter echo a half second later in the kitchen. She could have sworn she saw a light out of the corner of her eye, but nothing was there when she turned her head.

Today she is spending several hours looking at the stars, trying to come up with a discernable pattern. And to her astonishment she is able to. One is a bird, another is a wolf. Still another is her physics table of experiments. For some reason this amuses her and she laughs aloud. The occurence seems to become more and more frequent. With nothing to do she begins to boil water in the kitchen to make some bath water. Thankfully her electric stove and indeed all of the electricity seem to be working naturally, without any need for replinishment. As of yet she still cannot explain a thing, she does not get hungry, but every sixteen hours she gets tired and sleeps for eight hours.

She finishes boiling the water and combines the boiling water with room temperature water to regulate the temperature to a suitable bath and begins to bathe naked and steaming. She wonders if someone is watching her bathe but it is only her imagination, which seems to have been getting more vivid by the day. She begins to sing softly to herself. As she rubs her body. Suddenly she notices the ball of light again, this time hovering above her buth for about three seconds and dissappears.

She begins to talk to it. "Hello light, how are you doing today?" She hears nothing answer, but then she remembers the conversation she had with it the very first day she arrived in this predicament. In that time she has had her period twice. Thankfully she had the necessary equipment to deal with the situation.

Another week passes and fifty-nine days have gone by in the blink of an eye. the stars in her sky have now all bee charted and today she is bathed and ready to go to bed. When she notices what looks like a person in her living room. She goes to check it out but finds no one there. The tv turns on, static of course, what elese is there to watch? But Nikora is intrigued as she examines the cord that is not plugged up to the wall. Yet tv remains on. Not able to account for this, and growing extra tired by the second of her internal clock, she quickly decides to fall asleep in the living room. Nothing extraordinary happens whatsoever. she even dreams about nothing. Nothing being her entire story and no one to tell it to.

She wakes up and the tv has been turned off somehow, and she wonders if she is in an altered time-loop somehow. Although she cannot explain it, she feels as if she has only been in this house in the middle of nowhere in space for only a week. But then she realizes she may be going through the beginnings of her third period and prepares accordingly.

She continues on like this for another one-hundred-sixty-five days bringing her total days to two-hundred-fourteen days. She wonders about the state of her sanity and begins to wonder if anybody is indeed looking for her. Shimiya… Miranda… her parents. She wonders who out there remembers she even exists. But to no avail. Her day goes on as usual, the same stars swirling out just beyond the window that she cannot cross into outer space because of the vacuum. But now that she thinks about it she begins to wonder if there really is a vacuum out there, if perhaps her mind has been playing tricks on her. S

She decides to test the theory, heading for the front door. Tentatively she begins to reach for the handle, but in the back of her mind she resists, if she opens the door she will be sucked out. For some reason she begins to war with herself, to open the door, or not to open the door, that is the question. She decides to dispense with Shakespeare and quickly turns the handle to open it. She finds that the door is impossible to open. For some strange reason she feels the urge to knock and she does, and the outside of the door knocks back at her. She stares at the door, perplexed by this. She knocks again, to be answered again by another knock. "Is anyone out there?" She asks the door.

"No." The door says but it came from outside.

"What do you mean 'no'? If no one was out there you shouldn't have answered."

"On the contrary, if no one was out here I would have answered you."

"That makes not any sense."

"Oh it most certainly does make sense. I find that you are not the one making sense, especially since I am the sane one here."

"How can you be sane if I cannot even see you?"

"I can see you therefore I am sane."

"That does not answer my question, besides, why don't you come inside so I can talk to you face to face and we can find a way back to home to Earth."

"I am not here, therefore we cannot talk."

"You are clearly not making any sense, if you are not here then I couldn't hear you."

"I can hear you just fine."

"Then something is wrong and you are delibrately trying to deceive me."

"I am most certainly not."

"Answer me then!"

"No." And with that silence and not another word is spoken.

It takes several days for the whole conversation to sink in and Nikora can come to only one logical conclusion. "I am going completely nuts, who can I talk to out here? How am I so far from everyone I know, what has happened to my home, where am I?" She begins to shake, a fear welling up inside her chest and spilling out through the tears in her eyes. Suddenly she remembers something, a faint vision of a long forgotten familiar face. But it is gone in an instant and she is unable to grasp a hold of it. A smile lingers and warms her heart. Suddenly she does not feel so alone anymore. the eyes of someone special seem to impress upon her memory and open her frontal lobe and soon she can even smell him, the familiar scent of a long remembered, distant memory. A boy by a pond of freezing water, a flock of doves ascending into the chill air, suddenly she pushes the boy in, surprising him. Once he's in, naked, she steals his clothes and hides them behind a bush. A voice calls out, "Natalie!" it echoes as Nikora opens her eyes, still the scent of Earth's northern hemisphere and Northern russia caressing her nostrils.

Now back to reality. she surveys her same old room, still in space, and still lightyears away from nowhere. She looks at the stars. it has been several days since she fell asleep, five days in fact, bringing her total number of days to two-hundred-twenty-two days. she looks at the clock, it's two twenty one. For some reason this registers something familiar. She feels she must wait in the kitchen, no wait, the living room where the front door is locked, in exactly one minute she knows something will hapen. thirty seconds left, and she hears a noise coming from outside. She gets up, perplexed, and begins to examine the door. Fifteen seconds, the noise is getting louder, there is chattering, noises, clicking. Ten seconds, the noises stop, Nikora stares at the door in wonder. Five, four, three, two… "Remember, Natalie, when you pushed me in the freezing pond, I had hypothermia for days I couldn't stop shaking, but you were there, the whole time, and you know what, Natalie? You always kept me warm. on the inside."

Nothing happens, the clock has stopped at two twenty one and fifty-nine seconds. Natalie can only look on in wonder at the clock, why has the clock stopped? Surely the battery hasn't worn out, nothing electrical has burned out in two-hunderd-twenty-two days. There would be no reason for the clock to stop now. Natalie takes a long look at the door. What was she waiting for? who was she waiting for? Where did all the noises go? why was she thinking about a ball-point pen just now. She has become overly curious as to why she has been thinking about a ball point pen so clearly for the past two minutes. Wait a minute. Time has not passed at all, as a matter of fact, the stars outside haven't moved for just as long, or time has stopped all together.

All of the sudden she hears the clock begin to tick again, it is now two-twent-two, and Nikora was wondering why there was a delay in the space-time continuum. Suddenly the door opens and in walks a man.

"Nikora, it's me, Itoki, do you remember?"

"What are you doing here? Who are you I don't anyone by that name."

"Nikora, I'm here to rescue you, I'm here to take you home. Nikora, please, you must believe me!"

"I've never seen you in my life stay away from me!"

He begins to walk closer "You must remember me, I know you have felt me, I know you know who I am. Do you remember?"

"Do you remember, Natalie, who I am? I remember you, you saved me from being accused falsely, from being punished by the Overseer. Don't you remember? I know you do you must!"

"But it can't be! How can it, I've been here for centries! I don't know who I am!" Natalie cries out and begins to tear up. "Adam I… I remember your smell… and the frozen pond, but it wasn't frozen yet, and I remember you jumped in, but you're such an idiot because you left all of your clothes by the bench and I grabbed them and hid them… you were shaking with hypothermia for days."

**_Chapter 12: Escape_**

_****_"Nikora you do remember me, I know it!"

"But I… there's someone else here, he… it doesn't make sense! You must do something about it!"

"Nikora I can't, Nikora quickly I'm beginning to fade, you must remember me! Here!" A bright light shines and blinks. Nikora looks and notices a speck of light in her field of vision. But nothing she hasn't seen before.

"There's that light again, I wonder what it could mean." She looks around the room, wondering if any other phenomenae are going to occur. But she feels herself getting tired and decides its time to go back to bed.

Nikora wakes up and rubs her eyes, unfolds her covers and jumps off the right side of her bed. For some reason she feels a strange but warm sensation tingling between her legs. She remembers the feeling all throughout her body sending warmth and tingling all over. She looks around and all her room objects are fading in and out of existence, the chair and her desk appear to be splitting into dust and reassembling themselves, each time a cloud of dust is formed and moves around the room, pulsating and shimmering, going from her bed to her ceiling, to her hands. As the clouds hover her hands they begin to condense into a tiny golden sphere. With each pulse the sphere grows warmer and the dust forms a swirling cloud suspended above Nikora's outstreched hands. With each pulse the sphere grows more and more intense, and the tingling throught her body begins to become more pleasureable. She cannot contain herself as the pleasure overwhelms her "Oh… ohh. ohhh." The pleasure will not stop growing more intense with each pulse. suddenly the sphere begins to circle, first around her hand, then around her entire body, encompassing her in a spherical-spatial sheild force field. Suddenly Nikora finds herself unable to control her own body and begins to convulse from her waist to her breasts and as she does so she begins to glow a faint gold at first but grows brighter and brighter and she gets hotter and hotter as she melts off her bed clothes and panties. Her body becomes fluid, filling her entire room. she feels herself flying, flying fast. Fast flying home unable to control her movement unable to control anything and by sheer force of will flys as fast as she can to the home she once knew. But she stops herself, she remembers her many days in the distant space of nowhere, and suddenly she realizes the source of her pleasure, the nothingness, being nowhere, far away from any other life force brings her the greatest calm and peace. No longer to be bothered by anyone. she is solid again, and she finds out, she hasn't even moved place in normal space. Her room, her house, she has remained in the same spot, still rotating at a constant speed of one rotation per day.

Nikora sits in her living room on the coutch. She is contemplating what to do next. For some reason she thinks about going outside of the house for no apparent reason at all. She gets up and heads for the door to open it. She turns the handle. It's locked. Figures, she begins to wonder. "Who has me locked up in here anyway?" Upon recieving no response she proceeds to try again to open the door. Nothing happens. "What's wrong, why won't this door open? Perhaps it is vacuum-sealed." She remembers her studies about space, the vast emptiness of it, devoid of oxygen whatsoever. Suddenly she doesn't remember anymore. "Where's my screwdriver?" She asks the living room. When there is no response she begins looking for one. Suddenly she feels a pleasure spike between her legs and she lets out a low moan. For no reason at all she begins to take off all of her clothes starting with her shirt, and then her bra, she feels her breasts and relishes in deep satisfaction at her weight. Next she pulls off her pants and quickly removes her panties. She takes her fingers and slowly starts to feel herself inside and out. Quickly she stands up and rushes for the door in an attempt to bust open the door. She hits the door with full force and… success! The door flys open!

Thankfully she was holding on to the handle because now her feet are dangling at the threshold of a vast eternity of space. she lets out a squeel, and to her surprise she can hear herself, and she can breathe, and as a matter of fact there has been absolutely no decompression of air within the house. she notices that her legs are slowly gravitating toward the solid surface of the outside… **hull.** Soon the air around the house begins to turn blue. she has an atmosphere! A blue outer shield surrounding her entire house. Her legs have settled now, on the underside of the lot. She scoots out and holds on and once her butt has completely compressed itself on the outer hull she spreads her legs and stands up, completely naked, on the underside of her house. she looks up, toward the blue shield and stands confidant, legs parted, and perky nipples, and salutes with her hand held out flat just above her breast and screems "I did it!"

Finally realizing she is standing naked on the outside of her house she begins to notice large plating and intricate patterns at her feet. Everything free the air and the wind and the sunlight, although there is no sun, but there is warmth all around and illumination, her feet are firmly placed on the mantle by a steady Earth gravity of 9.8 meters per second per second Nine point eight. Through the blue biosphere she can see the stars shining brightly. when she looks away close to the middle of the underside she can see a large circular area jutting out with rounded edges.

As usual she goes to investigate. when she studies the object she recognizes the concentricity with a bubble in the middle, or like a huge breast, she nearly bursts out laughing when she realizes this, but then the inside of the concentric dome begins to become concave, folding into the house. As she approaches the chamber it opens up to reveal a control panel, at least what she can only describe as a control panel. she walks inside but nothing happens. And now the chamber around her dissappears and she is standing upright in the middle of her living room.

She goes to the door again and opens it, the atmosphere around her house is still there along with the blue light and the wind. she steps out again wondering what to do about the giant nipple. It looks like some sort of control panel as she approaches it, this time she steps in from the outside of the first concentric ring and into the middle. Nothing happens. she looks for a switch of some kind but finds none, and now she is looking for some sort of handle or a steering wheel perhaps, embedded in the array. what she finds instead is a strap around her waist appearing out of nowhere. Suddenly a pleasureable spasm shakes Nikora from the pelvis up. The sensation quickly grows intense, shooting through her body in pulses like a heart beat, heating her whole body, she feels her every molecule vibrater with new energy, energy from deep within throbbing from the inside out. suddenly her whole body lights up with intense heat, she is shining brighter than the sun and soon she is surrounded by a force field, the concentric rings become a conduit as she radiates out intense energy. She realizes that with each pulse she is moving the ship at light speeds through the stars. she is no longer where she once was. She cannot stop, flying endlessly through space, pulsing with energy like a pulsar. Her entire house flys with her all over the galax**y**.

**_Chapter 13: The Change and the Comission_**

Nikora, Itoki, Kyoko, Geoff, Miranda, Shimiya, it all begins to come back to her, all the memories of all of her friends, suddenly pouring into her mind all at once. And she remembers something else; Adam and the lake and the bench, the oracle and the overseer, and a promise to Adam to meet him again. She remembers the face of her love, of her… she is having trouble remembering beyond this point, she begins to fade, her soul slipping into oblivion, but she remembers his face, as he emerges from the water, icicles dangling from his funny looking private parts, the first time she had ever seen a man naked.

"Natalie what have you done with my clothes!?" At this Natalie bolts from her spot behind the bushes by the bench and runs for the center of the dome, Adam's clothes in hand, and giggles like a school girl. As in fact she is, just an eight year old school girl.

"Natalie, come back here! Those are my clothes!" He begins to chase her, just to find out now that she has disappeared.

Naked and shriveled, Adam makes his way to the infirmary where he can at least find some clothes, if not the culprit who made off with his own.

Adam is a boy of twelve, living in a dome miles beneath the ocean in a life support system the size of a large city, complete with terraformation such as lake and mountains and a climate, complete with four seasons and atmosphere productionsystem for the weather, all powered by the sun and intense geothermal energy.

Meanwhile Nikora remembers a crucial of her ship moving tactics. learning how to control her house took only a few days and she is getting the hang of it. There she is just priming through all of her controls. up and down side to side and a loop, with no stressess on the ship whatsoever. A distant caller echoes in her memory, a long time forgotten. A voice in her ears and her heart and the joys of lips pressed to lips and the warmth and subtlety of breath, tasting on the tongue. Soon the shadow looms and the light shines through.

"Nikora if you are recieving this you should know that you have a way out, a story that leads back to your world. there is a pathway through your central control panel, all you should do to be able to pass through is to access this control panel through your interface program you encountered. This should lead you back to your home. Remember me." the transmission ends and a beacon of light appears and begins to flash. The beacon grows in size exponentially, encompassing the ship and the whole ship begins to shutter, followed by a sudden stop. A sense of landing. At home she opens her eyes. and above her she sees Shimiya, Kyoko, and Miranda looking down at her, she is lying on her back next to her bed.

"She's awake!" Declares Miranda, throughly ecstatic. You've finally made it back to the realm of consciousness!"

"What happened to me? Where am I? Something's wrong, why is my voice so deep?"

"Miranda, what are you doing calling Itoki a she? I'm sure he doesn't find it polite at all, this is his house you know."

"Wait I'm what?" She looks down at her hands and notices something different, then suddenly she realizes her chest feels very lite. **"I'm… I'm a guy!"**

"What are you talking about, of course you are, Itoki."

"Itoki? why do you look so puzzled? Are you feeling okay? Computer do a scan on Itoki Norishiba, find out if there is anything wrong with him."

_"There are no known anomalies present within Itoki Norishiba."_

"Computer, run a biofilter."

"Geoff, what are you doing here? Sun Koshia? Kyoko? Shimiya? Miranda? why are you all looking at me funny?"

"Itoki, we're looking at you because this is your science experiment, remember? You brought us all here to run tests in the Life Simulation System. Somehow you fell unconscious and we've been trying to wake you for days."

"Kyoko? But you… disappeared. And Sun, I've never seen you before in my life, but now I remember every detail about you. Miranda, you were studying to become a marine biologist. And you Geoff, you were the person to ever see my lab… and my security caught you and put in the brig, my parents let you in, I was so furious, and delighted at the same time. My experiments came alive working on you And you father… and your mother I remember you were sad for days after the fire, and so distraught I thought you would never get rid of your sadness, until Whoray came and taught you to be yourself. I'm glad you've finally come to you senses and stopped blaming yourself. And Miranda, I can almost feel your thoughts from here. So you must like what I've given you, oh I have no doubt. And… where is Shimiya?"

"I'm up here Itoki, monitering your life signs."

"Of course you are. Kyoko, it is good to see you again. I see you've recovered, no more foxes chasing you around."

"Enough fooling around and cut to the chase, have you completed your experiment or not?"

"And James, the author, you must be well, producing dead lines and wreacking havok with out free will and placing us here, can't you feel it the overpowering urge to rest, to kill, to enter into oblivian? Sun Koshia, she wasn't anywhere in this story until now, and now you decide to place me in the body of Itoki, I, Nikora with a flat chest and tubing between my legs, what is your game? How does it make you feel coming up with all of these meaningless plot twists, excessive back story and intertwining histories of past present and future. I'm here to tell you how this book ends and I'm here to tell you that it doesn't end, going on forever and ever in drudgery."

"I'm here to tell you that you have free will, go forth and build your own world."

"I suppose you do have to write down what we say so our story can be told, I will cooperator in that I'm letting you interpret my words with the pen and the paper you write upon as my voice, and the voice of my friends."

"Itoki who are you talking to?"

Suddenly there is a bright light in the room as Itoki is replaced by nikora."

"My body! I have my body back oh thank you! now wait a minute where is Itoki?"

"Oh don't you worry about Itoki, because I'm right here."

"Life scanners confirm it, there are now two life signs reading near identical DNA structure, it appears you and Nikora are a perfect match for each other."

Both Itoki and Nikora blush, not knowing what to do with this new found information. they exchange glances and everyone laughs.

Nikora, Itoki, Geoff, Kyoko, Shimiya, Miranda; each and everyone has a story to tell. A foundation for all is right here. to see an feel.

"Those who can, feel obliged to stay the night and get some rest here. If anyone wishes to continue the experiment, consult with me."

"This experiment is all I have, count me in."

"Geoff."

"I suppose I can go one more round, I have a feeling I can find out what's really in that boiler room. I'm in!"

"Miranda."

"You think you can really go in there without a life line, you know I'm going in."

"Shimiya. And thanks I knew I could count on you."

"You know I have to find out more about my perfect lover, kissy pants!"

"Nikora."

"I… I think I better go in too. I'm… I'm in!"

"Kyoko. Thank you for doing this Kyoko, even after all you've been through."

"Ye-yes, I… I have to… it's the only way to prove… to prove…" She cannot finish and begins to blush a fierce crimson. "I.. ohhh.."

"Kyoko, i have faith in you." At this Itoki smiles, satisfied by his willing and very brave participants. "May God be with you all, Amen." He salutes them all with a hand facing outward just above his left breast.

And they all shout "YES!"

"Kyoko, you're with me. Shimiya begin the energy transfer to transport us into the system, then continue to transport each of us at the time intervals porscribed."

"I will. Count on me."

"Good. Now, Shimiya."

"I'm… I'm ready Shimiya."

"Energizing."

The fireld around the transport emits a bright beacon of light engulphing both Itoki and Kyoko and they disappear instantly.

"Miranda, Nikora, you're next."

"You'll make sure to give me the advantage won't you, Shimiya." Miranda smiles and winks at Nikora, and hugs her arm. "Isn't that right, huh Nikora, I just know we'll fall in love this time!"

"Oh you bet we will, as soon as I destroy you."

"Energizing." Nikora and Miranda disappear into the light.

"I'll set the timer for you and me, Geoff, all we need to do is step into the transport."

"So, you and me huh? I suppose we can have a little time to talk before we go." Shimiya walks over and stands next to Geoff, grabs him in her arms and kisses him passionately on the lips. Equally gratifying in Geoff's idea he looks into her eyes.

"See you soon, Geoff„ I'll be waiting by the portal."

The transport light shines brightly between them. But this time a spark enters into the beam and the entire shaft turns violet, with red sparks emanating all around, for only a brief second, and then turning to normal the beam transports the two, Geoff and Shimiya, into the system beckoning them to begin their new journey.


End file.
